Controversial businessman and politician, Kenneth Gbagi is doing everything within his powers to ensure he gets to occupy the government house in Asaba, Delta State in 2023. Gbagi who recently celebrated his birthday decided to use the same opportunity to build and donate a fully furnished 40-bed hospital to Oginibo community in Ughelli South Local government area of the state.
Gbagi is hoping that with his Greek gift, he will easily emerge victorious in the general elections in 2023 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party, SDP. The former Minister of Education had initially vied for the position on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but suddenly announced his withdrawal from the race. Gbagi in his resignation letter to the National Chairman of the PDP, Iyorchia Ayu, alleged that his action was informed by intimidation and threat to his life by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who he claimed had compromised the governorship primary of the party in the state.
He claimed the governor intimidated and witch hunted ad hoc delegates using the pomp and circumstances of his office and tax payers’ money to overawe the delegates. He alleged that Okowa issued threats against any person who he said would engage in anti party activities by voting against his preferred candidate in the forthcoming primary elections of PDP and also openly offered inducement in the range of N1 million and above.
But sources say nothing could be farther from the truth, alleging that Gbagi must have seen the signs that his chances at the primaries were slim and next to nothing prompting him to raise allegations they claim is unfounded to ease his exit to the SDP. In actual fact, what Gbagi fails to realise is that his sins of yesterday still haunt him. Gbagi must have thought that the people of Delta State would develop amnesia like him, to quickly forget the inhuman treatment he meted out to his staff once he declared his governorship ambition.
Perhaps he thought that the court dismissing the case in his favour would count for him during the PDP primary but failed to remember that getting the SDP ticket is nothing but temporary relief. Gbagi once assaulted and dehumanised his workers by allegedly stripping them naked. While he walks about a free man without consequences, his victims still battle trauma two years after the incident. In 2020, he had accused Precious Achibong, Roselyn Okiemute Diaghwarh, Victor Ephraim and Gloria Oguzie, who were working in his Signatious Hotel in Warri, Delta State, of stealing the sum of N50,000.
The victims, one of whom was a pregnant woman, said the money Gbagi accused them of stealing were tips given to them by a customer who had lodged at the hotel. He had allegedly stripped them naked, taken photographs of them and videoed them before handing them over to the police, who detained them for four days and subsequently charged them to court.
This provoked women, girls, and human rights activists to embark on a mass protest across the state to call for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Gbagi. The affected workers, with help from some human rights lawyers, instituted a suit against Gbagi in a High Court sitting in Effurun, Delta State. But in September 2021, the court dismissed their suit for lack of merit. Despite this, a criminal proceeding against Gbagi opened at the Federal High Court in Asaba. Although the victims are yet to get justice, they have hope that in February 2023, karma will be served frozen to Gbagi.
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